INCOMING STAFF

Jessica Kate Meyer, Rabbi / Chazzan

Jessica Kate Meyer has served for the past 4 years as a rabbi of Romemu in New York City. She was ordained by Hebrew College Rabbinical School, and strives to build community through prayerful music, and music through prayerful community. At Hebrew College and in Jerusalem, Jessica studied Sacred Jewish music with rabbis and paytanim from Sephardic and Ashkenazi traditions, and performed as a vocalist with ensembles in New York, Boston, and Jerusalem. Before ordination, Jessica worked for Encounter in Jerusalem, Temple Beth Zion and Temple Ahavat Achim in Massachusetts, and Havurat Tel Aviv in...Tel Aviv. After graduating from Wellesley College with a degree in Middle Eastern Studies, Jessica pursued graduate theater training in London, and appeared in many film, theater, and television projects in Europe and the United States: most notably, as a principal role in Roman Polanski’s The Pianist. Jessica is beyond thrilled to join the clergy team, and to serve The Kitchen community!

Jessica will begin on August 1, 2018.

Joel Abramovitz, Senior Family Educator

A long-time Kitchen member, Joel is transitioning out of his role as the Judaic Studies Principal and the Middle School Principal at the Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School on the north Peninsula. Joel loves to teach and learn Bible, analyze Jewish comedy, and think about how his work as a Jew and Jewish educator intersects with social change. He is also deeply involved in the local organizing work of Bend the Arc, focusing on criminal justice reform. Joel is a graduate of the DeLeT (Day School Leadership through Teaching) Program at Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles, and received his Master’s degree in Jewish Education from HUC-LA. Despite receiving much of his education in Southern California, Joel is a proud third-generation Bay Area native and lives in Oakland with his partner Zvi. When not working, Joel can be found in his kitchen, baking or studying cookbooks as if they were sacred texts.

Joel will begin on July 1, 2018.

Tarlan Rabizadeh, JEN Rabbinic Fellow

Tarlan was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, in the Persian Jewish community affectionately known as "Tehrangeles." In 2008, she graduated from Boston University with a bachelorʼs degree in Public Policy and Education, with a minor in Hebrew. After college, Tarlan worked as an interior designer in Los Angeles. In 2010, she began her career as a Jewish professional by attending the HUC-JIR Rhea Hirsch School of Education in Los Angeles, graduating with a masterʼs degree in Jewish Education in 2013. For the next year, she served as Assistant Director and then shortly after as the Interim Director of the Religious School at Temple Beth Hillel in Valley Village, CA. During her years in rabbinical school, Tarlan has fulfilled internships for Temple Beth Am in Monessen, PA, Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York, B'nai Israel Synagogue in High Point, NC, and the HUC-JIR National Office of Recruitment and Admissions. Tarlan is thrilled to contribute her artistic sensibility towards creating meaningful Jewish experiences at The Kitchen.